


Ain't Nothin' So Good As Comin' Home

by politics_and_prose



Category: Newsies - All Media Types, Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-11
Updated: 2018-11-11
Packaged: 2019-08-21 20:20:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,141
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16583450
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/politics_and_prose/pseuds/politics_and_prose
Summary: Jack and Davey stop by the lodging house to meet with the boys.





	Ain't Nothin' So Good As Comin' Home

**Author's Note:**

  * For [tuppenny](https://archiveofourown.org/users/tuppenny/gifts).



> So I mentioned to tuppenny that in my Mouse story, I might write Jack's relationship with the kids after he ages out. She said she'd like to read it. This isn't part of that story or universe, but it kind of took hold after she said that so ... here it is.

“Hey, didja hear who Les said was comin’ by t’day?”

“His brother and – and _Jack Kelly_.”

“Can ya believe it? _Jack Kelly’s_ comin’ by. Fa’ us!”

Les Jacobs sat out on the front steps of the lodging house, a smile on his face. He was sixteen and second in charge of the Lower Manhattan newsies, just behind Boots. Davey had stopped by the night before to let him know that he and Jack needed to see the boys today. Davey had union stuff to talk about – boring but important, Les supposed – and Jack was coming by to see the boys, make sure they were okay.

He did it every so often, at least twice a month since he aged out about four years ago. Les was glad for it too, because it seemed like all the guys he came up with weren’t there anymore. Few of them there now were around for the strike. Him, Boots, Smalls, Romeo were it, and after this year, he would be the last. Race, Albert, Buttons and Elmer left within the last couple of years.

Les had disappointed his parents when his father got a new job. While Davey had gone back to school, smiling and full of excitement, Les had been much more reluctant. He didn’t belong there, he knew, and he proved it within the first half year. He wasn’t as bright as Davey when it came to book smarts, but he had the street smarts to make good money as a newsie.

Being Jack Kelly’s protégé had its benefits.

Over the winter holidays the year Jack aged out, Les laid out his plan. He was going to stop going to school and work full time. His parents fussed and fought and denied his request time and time again, until his brother stepped in and spoke on his behalf.

It had taken Les by surprise to hear his brother argue passionately for Les to be allowed to work as a newsie instead of going back to school like he’d done. _It’s who he is_ , Davey had said. _Don’t deny him the change to be that person_.

He’d moved into the lodging house that spring. He was near twelve at that point and it made sense for him to be there helping with the younger kids. He knew how being a newsie worked and he thought having been there as long as he had, he would be able to keep the order and make sure the little kids were okay. He stayed at home some nights, but more often than not, he stayed at the lodge.

It made him feel like he belonged.

“There he is.”

Les’ head snapped up to see his brother and Jack approaching, wide smiles on their faces. Davey, a college boy on his way to eventually getting a law degree, and Jack Kelly, who still worked for The World, now one of the best known illustrators in the city. They both looked so grown up now and Les wondered if they thought the same thing about him.

“Hey, Davey,” he said with a smile, standing up and spitting in his hand. His brother laughed and pulled him into a hug before passing him over to Jack.

Jack reciprocated the spit shake before pulling Les into a hug as well. “There’s my favorite newsie,” he said with a grin. “How’s the boys?”

“Good,” Les reported. “Got everybody here for the meetin’. Mostly. I think Patches’s in Brooklyn an’ JJ’s boys’ll fill ‘em in.”

Davey grinned and said fondly, “Every group of Manhattan newsies has someone who’d rather be in Brooklyn.”

“Race stopped by a few days ago,” Les told them. “Came by with a tip on a horse. Boots kicked ‘em out. Literally. Could hear ‘em laughin’ all the way down the block though so I guess that was what he was aimin’ for.”

Davey and Jack shared a smile before nodding towards the lodging house. “Ya’ wanna get them kids into the dinin’ room?” 

“Sure,” Les agreed. “Davey’s gonna go first?”

“It’ll be short,” he promised. “I just need to get your reps for the next union meeting. Blink wants to get the list out a week early. Then you can all fawn over the most famous newsie of all time.” Davey grinned over at Jack, who nudged him with his shoulder and smiled. “We’ll be in in just a minute.” 

Les’ eyes moved between them and he arched a brow but went inside to get the boys ready anyway. “Hey, ya bums! Dinin’ room now or ya’ ain’t seein’ Jack Kelly!”

Les laughed as he jumped onto the check-in desk to get out of the way as the boys thundered past to stuff themselves into the dining room. Sure, he could have told them that they were gonna have to sit through Davey’s boring stuff first, but he figured they wouldn’t have hauled it to get there if he didn’t.

He was in the dining hall with the kids, sitting at a table with Boots, Pug and Niner when his brother stepped in front of the crowd. He heard the scattered murmurs and one kid ask if _that_ was Jack Kelly, and he had to hide his laugh as a cough into his arm. He loved these kids but sometimes they weren’t the brightest.

“Good afternoon. I’m David – uh, _Davey_. Some of you guys know me as Les’ brother and others know me as your rep to the union. I’m here to get the names of the three fellas who’re gonna join me in the Bronx for the next meeting. Don’t matter what your age is – in fact, I’d be happy to take one of the younger kids with me. It’s a bunch of old guys in charge,” he grinned. 

His brother liked to think he wasn’t particularly good at talking and motivating groups, but Les knew different. When Jack had been missing during the rally, Davey had stepped up. No, he wasn’t perfect, but he could get it done. It just usually took a bit of time for him to get rolling. He didn’t have that time today and it seemed like he didn’t need it. Juke, Pug and Bubbles all raised their hands. He could see Bubbles was bouncing a bit in her seat and he had to laugh – Jack was better known and definitely the one who got more attention from girls, but his brother didn’t do too bad either. 

He made a mental note to talk bad about Davey so Bubbles didn’t get too big of a crush on him.

“Thanks, fellas. And now, the real reason you’re all here …”

Les couldn’t help himself. He grinned at Boots and Niner before the three of them started to chant Jack’s name. The rest of the kids followed suit almost immediately. He saw his mentor roll his eyes before stepping out in front, shaking Davey’s hand along the way. It all seemed like it was some kind of spectacle and the kids were eating it up.

“How’s m’ boys?” Jack asked and a cheer went up.   “All right, all right,” he laughed. “Just wanted ta’ stop in an’ see yas’. I know Miss Katherine came by with Miss Elisabeth and youse guys was supposed ta’ do some readin’ – yas’ get it done?”

Some of the kids murmured that they had but one stood up, Les was pretty sure it was the new kid that went by Homer, and asked why they had to do “stupid readins’”. He could see his brother and Jack both stiffen and he felt a little bad. He would have to keep a closer eye on the kid to make sure he was doing what he was supposed to.

Jack motioned for Davey to answer but his brother just shook his head. This was what Jack tended to do. When it came to things having to do with Kath or Lis, Jack liked to have Davey answer it but Davey never did. Les often wondered why but never asked; it probably wasn’t any of his business anyway. 

“Ya’ gotta do the readins’ ‘caus ya’ gotta be able ta’ read the headlines. An’ what happens when the headline’s bad?”

“Headlines don’t sell papes,” Boots said, a grin on his face, “newsies sell papes.”

“You’se about ta’ have sold ya’ last one, smart mouth,” Jack shot back, though he was grinning. “Honest, though, ya’ gotta do the reading so you can make sure ya’ can read the headline then _improve_ the headline.”

“Lie,” Davey muttered, and then followed it with an obviously fake cough. Jack shot him a scathing look but his brother just grinned widely and motioned back to the gathered crowd.

“If anyone’s havin’ trouble with the readin’, I’ll hang out a bit longer before we head out and look at it wi’ yas’. Wouldn’t be the first time Kath and Lis went a little overboard. Now, how’s about yas’ health? Everybody okay?” Jack asked.

A few boys stood up and asked if they could talk to Jack after, and it was the older ones so Les figured he knew what it was about. Jack and Davey had given _him_ that particular talk a year ago when he’d had a steady girl. Another kid asked how they could get new blankets since it was gonna be getting cold soon.

“I’ll see what I can do,” Jack promised. “How many full beds ya got, Boots?”

“Uh, most nights we got twenty five or twenty six,” he answered. “Less in the summer since the kids like ta’ sleep outside if it ain’t too sticky, but once winter comes, we’re probably gonna top thirty or forty.”

Les winced, knowing those numbers were probably a too low. Kids were working to the bone all the time and, yeah, with nice weather they didn’t have tons of boys staying, but once the cold set in, Les figured they’d have two or three boys to a bed. “Maybe fifty or more,” he added, just so Jack was able to follow his line of thought. “Won’t know ‘til it gets there.”

Jack looked over to Davey and his brother jotted something down in his notebook. “I’ll make sure to bring it up at the next union meeting. I may call on a couple of you kids to talk about it, unless there’s other lodging houses that are lookin’ at the same issue. Then we may not need to.”

“Thanks, Davey. What else we got?” Jack asked. When some of the kids murmured but didn’t stand up, Jack nodded. “Okay. I’m gonna hang out for a bit for anybody who needs ta’ talk. Davey’ll be here too but he ain’t as helpful as me,” he grinned.

Davey flipped him off but smiled through it.

The meeting broke up and a bunch of kids crowded around Jack, asking a dozen things at once. He and Davey slipped to the back of the room and just took it all in.

“He’s good at this,” Les said, leaning against the wall, arms crossed. “I don’t think I ever really noticed back when you guys were here.”

“That’s because you were one of _them_ ,” Davey said, indicating the mass of kids. “You were onea’ the ones fighting for his attention.”

Les nodded. “Like the big brother I never had.”

“You’re a bad person. I want you to know that. From the bottom of my heart, I hope you get a paper cut.”

“You wound me, Davey,” he laughed, knocking into his brother’s side. “How’s things goin’ with school?”

Davey shrugged, his eyes still on the group in the front. “Sometimes it makes me miss this. I’ll never find the friends in school that I found here.”

“Aww, ya’ gettin’ all sentimental on me, Davey. Too bad ya’ a giant and ya’ look thirty.”

“ _Three_ paper cuts,” his brother deadpanned. “On your finger tips. Because you’re rotten.”

“I miss sellin’ with you an’ Jack,” Les admitted, “but it’s also kinda nice ta’ be like the twoa’ youse were. Kids wanna sell wi’ _me_ now.”

“You should let them,” Davey said, chuckling as Jack pulled a kid into a headlock. “’Cause if ya’ do, one day you’ll be comin’ back here just like him. He always tells me ain’t nothin’ so good as comin’ home.”

Les smiled and crossed his arms over his chest. He glanced at his brother, who was still smiling at Jack and the kids up in the front, and then looked to the guy who made him into the newsie he was today. Jack was a leader, had always been someone he’d looked up to, but seeing him today he realized that it was true. When Jack came to the lodging house, he looked at home.

With a warm, comfortable feeling in his heart, Les knew exactly how the older boy felt.


End file.
